Grade 7 (House 2)
Presque Isle Middle School
Skiing… It’s one of those things that once you start you have an overwhelming urge to do again and again. It’s a passion for me and many other people who have discovered its beauty, and living in Presque Isle nourishes that passion. Here in Presque Isle, we are up to our necks in places to ski, whatever style or skill level you are. For example, we have a world class Nordic skiing center, one of the best in New England, and it’s completely free for anyone to use! The Nordic Heritage Ski Center hosted the 2006 World Junior Biathlon. It has 20 km of groomed cross-country ski trails, and many acres of untouched fluffy powder to snowshoe in.
The Aroostook State Park also provides a great cross-country skiing opportunity. It has 15 miles of skiing trails and five miles of snowshoeing trails. Aroostook State Park became Maine’s first state park in 1939. While the Nordic Heritage Center has a high-tech lodge and facilities and is dedicated mostly to skiing, the Aroostook State Park has more of a wild side. It is more isolated and natural, and it is dedicated to nature just as much as skiing.
Cross-country skiing is arguably the healthiest winter sport that anyone can enjoy, and it’s easy to learn. There is nothing that can compare to skiing in the middle of a snow-covered forest. The scenery is just breathtaking, it gives you a feeling that you can’t describe, it feels like time is frozen, and you are a visitor to a secret, uninhabited world.
There are also a few places to downhill ski in Presque Isle. First, there is Quoggy Jo. Located just minutes from downtown Presque Isle and the Aroostook Centre Mall, it has a T-bar lift and five trails. Quoggy Jo is a perfect place for beginning skiers; it has very gentle slopes and is very forgiving, perfect when you are just learning.
Then there’s Big Rock, located about 15 miles south of Presque Isle in the town of Mars Hill. Big Rock was founded in 1959 and has 28 trails and five lifts. Big Rock is somewhat of a rarity up here in Aroostook County, for if you go to the top, you can only see flat fields and small rolling hills wherever you look, the only other significant mountains nearby are in Aroostook State Park. After you learn to ski at Quoggy Jo and its gentle slopes, the next level is Big Rock, where the greatest percentage of trails is intermediate. However, there are a few advanced trails for the daring. Once you go to Big Rock, it’s so fun that you don’t want to leave, and you usually stay until the lifts close.
And of course, living in Maine, we have access to several world-class destination ski resorts like Sugarloaf or Sunday River if you are willing to drive a ways, but it’s definitely worth it. These resorts have almost everything for any skill level of skiing.
There is this sensation associated with slaloming down a racing trail or mogul skiing on narrow New England ski trails. There is a thrill that you can’t get anywhere else, you know that you are living life to its fullest. When I ski, I have this happiness inside of me that is almost overflowing. Nothing can match it, and nothing ever will.
Skiing. It finds a special place inside of you, and nothing can ever compare. It’s not just a sport: it’s a way of life.
